Electrical connectors may be connected to substrates such as printed circuit boards. A type of electrical connector may include insert molded lead assemblies, where contacts are molded as part of and thus encapsulated within contact blocks. A second type of electrical connector may include a contact block into which electrical contacts are inserted after the contact block is manufactured.
One method of connecting an electrical connector to a printed circuit board is by a press-fit engagement with the board. The connector may be pressed down on the printed circuit board with a force large enough to fully connect contacts of the electrical connector with the printed circuit board. For those connectors that include contacts encapsulated as part of a contact block, the force required to ensure press-fit engagement with a printed circuit board may not cause movement of the contacts relative to the contact block. That is, the encapsulation may provide support for the contacts, preventing the contacts from moving relative to the contact block while the connector is firmly pressed onto the circuit board.
A problem may arise when press-fitting an electrical connector to a printed circuit board where the contacts are not encapsulated within a contact block during molding of the contact block. Contacts that are inserted into a contact block after the block is manufactured may move relative to the contact block when the electrical connector is press-fitted or otherwise connected to a printed circuit board. That is, as a force is applied on the electrical connector, pressing the connector onto the printed circuit board, the contacts may not fully engage with the printed circuit board and instead may move within the contact block, potentially causing damage to the contact block and electrical connector, and preventing a full connection with the printed circuit board.